Author: Pete and Sumari Witt

26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
– John 10:26–28 (NIV)

How incredible it is for the Lord to know us – for us to be His sheep and to be called children of God!  As believers, we have such an amazing assurance of eternal life and protection from the Lord.

Jesus makes it clear in the above passage that if we are in fact His sheep, two things will be evident in our lives.  #1 – We will hear (and recognize) His voice.  #2 – We will follow Him (wherever He leads.)

As I grow closer to the Lord, I find myself crying out more and more to Him asking Him to search my heart and reveal anything in my life that is offensive to Him (Ps 139:23-24.) 

While it is solely by God’s grace and through the Holy Spirit that we can even hear God’s voice, I’ve had to ask myself this question – Am I actually trying to hear God throughout each day so that I can follow Him and only do what He desires of me in each moment and situation that I am facing?

In this season, God has called us to surrender and lay down more and more things of this world that may seem innocent to many, but in reality are distractions and temptations that are hindering us from hearing God and following Him with the whole-hearted devotion and surrender that He desires and deserves.

The Lord is coming back for a pure and spotless bride, and we are committed to preparing ourselves and His church for that glorious day. 

Please continue to keep our family and our ministry in prayer.  We have been so blessed to see God touch the hearts and lives of so many people already here in South Africa, and yet we know He wants to do so much more. 

Thank you for your prayers, love and financial support!

I told a friend recently that if I could go back in time and choose to not go through 2020, I would still go through it all over again. Why?

Because in the midst of trials and uncertainty, we have seen God move so powerfully both in our own hearts and lives, as well as in the lives of the churches and people we’ve been able to minister to this year.

Sometimes it takes a global pandemic and a shutdown of all major entertainment worldwide to shake us and help us realize how far we’ve actually drifted away from God and from living a life of complete obedience and devotion to Him and for Him.

There’s so many things happening in the world screaming for our attention. We must remember the hope we have in Him and keep our eyes fixed on Him, rather than fixing our eyes on the media and the world around us.

By God’s grace, opportunities to advance His Kingdom have continued to open up for us here in South Africa. While international travel became nearly impossible this year, we’ve still been able to travel this country and share God’s Word in churches across South Africa.

As we’ve ministered, we’ve seen such a hunger for the Lord and such an awareness of how great He is and how worthy He is to be praised and worshiped. We’ve also seen an outpouring of earnest repentance before the Lord as He has convicted hearts to fully turn back to Him.

The ministry school continues to produce disciples that are passionate and on fire for the Lord, and we are sending many of our interns and graduates into various roles within churches and congregations across the country. It’s incredible to see so much fruit from the school as many former graduates are now leading churches and church plants as well.

We are also now prayerfully exploring how to multiply the ministry school and create similar schools and experiences in other countries in Africa and beyond where we already have partnerships with healthy churches. The harvest is plentiful, and our burden in the Lord is to raise up and equip a movement of disciple-makers in the nations.

As this year draws to a close and we reflect with thanksgiving, we are overwhelmed with the awareness of how awesome and glorious our God is. And our prayer for each one of you reading this update is for you to truly know the Lord and His great love, and that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

God bless you!

¹⁴ This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14

While 2020 has certainly presented us with our share of trials and challenges, we are so grateful for the way that the Lord has used it to grow us in our character and bring us to a greater level of dependence on Him.

Now that travel has opened up a bit here in South Africa, I was able to visit a couple of churches in another province this past month to minister and preach. The troubling events across the world in this season only encourage me even more to share the hope of Jesus with others.

As I prayed about what the Lord wanted me to share, He highlighted John 15 – where Jesus tells the disciples that He is the true vine and that they are to remain in Him.

Jesus says that we can do nothing apart from Him. Now it’s one thing to acknowledge this truth. But it’s another thing for our lives to actually reflect this level of dependence on Him in the way we spend our time, prioritize our lives, and make decisions.

Jesus also tells them that the Father prunes and cuts us even when we are already bearing fruit in our lives, so that we we may be bear even more fruit and show ourselves to be His true disciples. Knowing this fact, we should both expect God’s pruning as well as actively seek it out as we go through different seasons in life.

May we remain in Him and may our lives bring glory to God in everything we do.

During these last few months, we have been surrounded by fear, injustice, uncertainty, change, discomfort, disease, and death.  I wish I can reflect on this time and say that through it all I have responded in a Christ-like manner at all times.  

But while I cannot say that, God’s grace has been sufficient.  I’ve repented often, received his forgiveness, and asked for His help to obey and follow Him during these times the way that He desires me to follow Him.  

Here are 3 things God has been teaching me during this time.  I pray that they encourage you as they have encouraged me.

1.  “Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one…” – Hebrews 11:16(a)
   
   Many times during this season of lockdown, I’ve longed for things I used to be able to do.  I longed for hugs from friends and family.  I longed to go for a walk without a mask on.  I longed to go sit by the beach and stare at God’s beautiful creation.  While all of these things seem reasonable, I’ve realized the more time I spend longing for them, the less time I spend focused on Him – abiding in Him and following Him.
   
   God is teaching me to “long” for Him and His Kingdom more – long for His presence, long to hear His voice, long to walk in His ways, and long to do His will.  The more that I long for those things and direct my focus and my energy towards Him, the less time I spend focusing on the things of this world as well as what I do or don’t have or can or can’t do on this side of heaven.
   
   
2. “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…” – Hebrews 12:1-2
   
   A couple of weeks into lockdown, I was feeling completely overwhelmed and mentally exhausted.  I realized that every time I checked the news, social media, or my group messages, it was stealing mental energy away from me.  It was hindering me from being fully present with my family and the people I minister to.  And it was hindering me from being present with the Lord.
   
   God is teaching me to be very intentional to throw off things that hinder me or cause me to sin.  In this case, it was all of the media inputs at my fingertips.  We’re called to think about and focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8).  Sadly, I rarely find those things in the news or on Facebook. So I’ve drastically reduced the amount of time I even allow my eyes to read these things and my mind to process then.
   
   God has reminded me to fix my eyes on Jesus – on what He did on the cross for us, on the way He lived His life, on the commands He has given me to obey, and on the fact that He is a risen King – now and forever.  I must remove anything that hinders my ability to fix my eyes on Him and follow Him.

3. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” – Hebrews 10:24-25
   
   When I haven’t been stuck in my own mind wrestling with the realities we have been facing in the world, I’ve been reaching out to others in the church and community that God has placed in my life and ministry.  However, early in lockdown I noticed a lot of my conversations were centered around just ensuring that the person was “OK.”
   
   God reminded me in this Scripture that he has called us to not only be “OK” and wait for things to return to “normal”, but that we should rather be considering and giving careful thought towards how we may encourage and spur one another on toward love and good deeds while God continues to work and be active around us. He wants us to persevere and grow more like Him, especially during trials.
   
   We are in a constant spiritual battle, and thankfully we don’t have to face that battle on our own.  We must encourage one another to trust and follow the Lord into the “new” he is leading us into, rather than try to hold on and hold out for a “normal” that may never return.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Just hours before the President of South Africa came on to television and announced that we would no longer be able to meet in large groups (and would one week later be forced to lock ourselves in our homes), God had continued to write an amazing testimony of His hand at work in my life.

Four years ago when I was just visiting South Africa, I was invited to preach in a church for the first time in my life. I only found out days before preaching that it was in Nyanga – an area known as the “murder capital of South Africa” – in the 15th most violent city in the world.

Four years later, we now we live and minister in South Africa – and the Lord has opened up so many opportunities to declare the gospel here and to make disciples focused on following the Lord and doing the same.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I found out last month that this same church in Nyanga that I preached at 4 years ago was one of 18 churches from the Cape Flats region – a notorious region in South Africa that continues to remain poverty stricken with disturbing levels of gang activity – coming together for a 3 day equipping time that we were helping to lead with our partner church here.

First, we joined church leaders from across all of Cape Town along with these 18 Cape Flats churches for two days to worship the Lord together and to examine the Scriptures to discuss God’s heart and blueprint for a healthy church. Sadly, many churches have distorted the gospel and led the people astray from God’s truth, especially in the Cape Flats region.

Next, we had leaders and teams minister to each of these 18 churches that Sunday. I was asked to return to the church in Nyanga and preach there once again. It was incredible to see Him bring this connection and relationship back into my life. This time I was accompanied by my wife as well as a team of 12 others leaders that we partner with.

It was so special to preach to this congregation again and to see God continue to do a beautiful work in the hearts and minds of the congregation – even as this church sits right in the center of one of the darkest areas in the world. Many people responded to the preach seeking more of Him through repentance and prayer, including a number of the teenagers which was amazing. We saw God move in power and bring both physical and emotional healing during this time as well.

I also got to see and catch up with MT, one of the former gangsters I met at Drakenstein prison 4 years ago who is now faithfully serving the Lord and proclaiming the gospel back in the same neighborhoods where he used to be caught up in the gang lifestyle.

As we now endure a lockdown here in South Africa and are making many adjustments to the way we minister for the next few weeks, I’m so grateful that God allowed us to be part of His beautiful work in the Cape Flats just before the lockdown happened.

Thank you all for your prayers and continued support of what God is doing here in South Africa through our ministry. Your partnership is truly special and treasured.

¹  The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. ³  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. – Psalm 23:1-3

As 2020 began, I was invited to preach at a couple of church congregations for the first time.  The theme I felt the Lord highlight to me was – Where is God leading you?

So often we can begin the new year with a sense of hope and expectation – just because the calendar changed.  We hope this year will be better, this year will be different, this year that one thing (job, promotion, home, spouse, etc) will be added to my life that will make all of the difference.

But how much of our focus is on the Lord – who He is, who we are in Him, and where He wants to guide and lead us?

¹ The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.

Jesus Christ is Lord – that’s undeniable. The question is – do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord – right here, right now, at this point in your life?

If I were to ask you about your life this past year – the activities that were most important to you, the thoughts that dominated your mind, the words that came out of your mouth, and the way you spent your money – would it be obvious to me from the way you lived your life this past year that you do acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and that you have decided to follow Him with your whole life?

¹ The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.

You may have entered 2020 thinking that if you just had that one thing added to your life – then you could be happy, then you could be fulfilled, then 2020 would be the best year ever.

If the Lord is your Shepherd, realize that you lack nothing in your life. He has given you and will give you everything you need – the things that He knows you need, not necessarily the things you think you need.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

You may have had some time off from work over the holidays where you relaxed and rested physically. However, you may still feel tired as we have moved back into the business and routine of day-to-day life.

We need spiritual rest in addition to physical rest. The Lord refreshes our soul. We must remain in Him, spend time with Him, and trust Him with our circumstances in life. We must trust Him even in our times of rest where we worry that the world may fall apart if we don’t continue “doing” all of things we think we need to do, and rather realize that He’s still in control of it all.

³  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

When we see Him as Lord and as our Shepherd, we realize that he wants to lead us somewhere. By faith, we have to trust Him with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding, but submit to Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6).

He is faithful to establish our steps and make our paths straight.

³  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Lastly, we need to remember that everything is for His name’s sake. It’s all for His glory. Our lives here on earth are meant to be lived in a way that brings Him glory.

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:6-7

As Thanksgiving approaches, we have so many things to be thankful to God for. Even as we reflect on our time so far in Cape Town, we are overwhelmed by how God has allowed us to impact lives here, as well as how He has provided for us and protected us on this journey.

One amazing testimony that we want to share involves Sumari’s mom Elize, who visited us in Cape Town two weeks ago and attended church with us that Sunday evening.

Elize had recently noticed a blind spot in her vision, and was diagnosed with macular degeneration by an eye surgeon. Macular degeneration is incurable and would’ve required surgery to prevent her from going blind completely.

The doctor actually told her that even after surgery, there was only a 30% chance that her condition would improve. There was even a 30% chance that it would be worse after the surgery. Here is a scan showing her nerve attached to the middle of the retina and threatening to tear it completely.

During church the elder leading the meeting gave an invitation for people to come forward for prayer for various reasons. Elize didn’t come forward, but instead stayed in her seat and prayed to God asking Him to heal her eye. While she experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s presence at one point, she only later found out that God had answered her prayer.

Upon returning home, Elize returned to the doctor for a follow-up appointment to prepare for the surgery. The doctor did a follow-up scan and was completely speechless as he viewed the results. He said that a miracle had happened because her eye is now completely normal!

Here’s her follow-up scan showing that the white line (nerve) is no longer implanted into the retina:

We are so grateful for each and every moment that God displays His incredible glory and power to us. We pray that you will be filled with an overwhelming awareness of the love of Christ, and that you will know this love that surpasses knowledge.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

South Africa has once again been in the world’s news headlines this month for the wrong reasons. Violence and killings have taken place here as immigrants from other African countries have been targeted by South Africans that are angered by the high unemployment rate and other poor economic conditions in the country. 

This past weekend, in arguably the most diverse township in the country (and also one of the most violent), we got together with the church there to celebrate what the Lord has done in the lives of the people there since the church was launched 10 years ago. 

People from 8 different nations and multiple tribes from within South African came together to worship and praise the Lord for who He is and what He is done in our lives. It was a beautiful reflection of the Kingdom of God.

As we continue to see more and more craziness not only in South Africa but around the world, we keep our eyes fixed on our Lord and Savior and the only answer that we have to provide to others – Jesus.

Psalm 33:20-22 – We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

A dear friend of ours took this photo a few weeks ago. Pete was preaching in a township nearby (for our US friends, townships here are typically associated with severe poverty, violence and brokenness). I cannot help but both smile and tear up when I look at this picture. What I see is not just my husband, but a picture of how God wants us to live this life here on earth…

in prayer, with our arms wide open to receive from Him what He has for us, whether it’s blessings, guidance, discipline or instructions, holding His word in our hands and close to us so we can hear His voice, and in community with other believers to support, encourage and pray for us.

Pete went to this township to teach and encourage others, but instead we were encouraged by how they received him, prayed for him and their response to the word God spoke through him.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. – Proverbs 12:25 ESV – https://bible.com/bible/59/pro.12.25.ESV

In times when you get anxious about this life, fully surrender it all to Jesus, keep His good word close to your heart and be intentional to surround yourself with others who are fully surrendered to Him, people who will encourage and pray for you.

There are so many different views of what discipleship is and a ton of resources on how to disciple better.  But if we use Jesus as the model, we see that he discipled the 12 disciples by inviting them to follow Him and live life together.  In that context, He then taught them and imparted His life and His knowledge to them before sending them out.

Dayana came to South Africa with us 9 months ago as part of our team to serve the Lord here alongside us.  As she entered her last 30 days of serving the Lord here in Cape Town, we felt God calling us to invite Dayana into our home to see what He wanted to do in that time living in close community together.  Here are some of things we learned…

1 – It takes sacrifice to disciple and invest in someone intentionally as part of your life.

While we all live “busy” lives, we have a lot of choice over how we spend our “free time” as well. Sadly, many people spend hours of their free time in front of their televisions or electronic devices and social media.

Are you willing to lay down your personal agenda to spend time with others or invite them into your daily activities that you would normally do alone or just with your family?

Are you willing to invite someone into your home to stay with you to help them or invest in them, knowing that there will be some disruption to your personal space and activities at home?

If we don’t truly value pouring into others, we won’t make the sacrifices necessary to do so.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but of yourself less.” – C.S. Lewis

2 – God knows exactly what we need, and often gives it to us even without us asking.

When we felt God calling us to invite Dayana to stay with us, one reason we thought He may be doing so was that she would benefit from experiencing Christ through witnessing how we interact in our marriage and parenting as she prepares for her own upcoming wedding in May.

What we didn’t expect was the blessing we received as Dayana offered time and time again to watch Arielle for us. We hadn’t planned for her to do so, but it allowed us to fully engage in numerous ministry opportunities without “distraction.” We were also able to enjoy a few “date nights” and continue to sow into a healthy marriage.

It was a wonderful blessing for us that we didn’t even know we needed. But God did 🙂